While his mother grocery shopped, someone stole an iPad out of the hands of a 6-year-old boy with Down syndrome. The store’s security cameras didn’t capture anything, and the only information the family had was the testimony of his twelve-year-old sister, who also has Down syndrome: “The blonde lady took it.” The story could have ended there, and made everyone sad. Mean person steals expensive but important educational tool from special needs child. Only that wasn’t the end of the story.

When a story about a waiter refusing to serve customers starts picking up steam online, it usually involves people rushing to insult the server and his employer. But this story is getting quite the opposite response from the public. [More]

UPDATE: American Airlines has issued a full statement to Consumerist on this story. It has been added to the end of the post.
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American Airlines says the reason it refused to allow boarding to a 16-year-old with Down syndrome and his parents is that the teen was behaving erratically. The parents say that’s completely untrue and that the airline simply didn’t want their son in first class.